Current Affairs The Labour Party

[magicjuan]

It's worked for me, my extended family and almost everyone else I've personally known. We were breadline working class during the recession years of the early-90's. Chips-n-beans was the staple, with own brand white bread in-between. I used to get told off for putting one slice of ham on a single white-bread slice as that was a waste when i should be putting one slice of ham between two white bread slices (as it would fill my belly while making the ham last longer).

That was a common situation for many working class, but is less so now.

And smartphones are a total luxury. We've had them marketed to us as if they're essential but they're clearly not. A mobile phone, I grant you. You can get them for 20 quid. Internet connection at home, sure. But the latest iphone for a grand plus expensive monthly contracts? Utter luxury. Yet many so-called working class have such expensive luxury consumer goods nowadays.




So what? It's your choice. I agree expensive rents are a big problem, but people are still free to move elsewhere. Despite what you hear the North has plenty of jobs about.

You have to understand what a free market is. It's the people themselves, you too, that are just at fault as big business or the government for making Britain so BigCity-centric (assuming you live in a big city). When I was early-20's, despite having a good job my money still ran out a week before payday...because I chose to live in a big city which swallows money very quickly. I could've done factory or greenhouse work in small towns in Yorkshire, that would've left me with a few hundred quid left over every month.

Free market...I'm glad we live in one, because we get to choose what kind of life we want.




Not quite, mate. There will be more immigration to offset exactly that problem of more older people/less children. More immigration means more housing demand.

A lot depends on what happens with Brexit...




Yeah, I know.




CEO's are demonised for some reason, but if it wasn't for them many from the working classes wouldn't be in the comfortable position they are now.

The options are out there for people to seize the day for themselves, to develop, to work, to be content with small comforts.

All you're shy of is 'they've never had it so good'. Proper blue rinse tub thumping servile nonsense, of course. It's like a Python sketch...

 

[zzr45]

Let me shower, and I'll take a look at the data myself and report back to you.

Save your self the trouble. Look at the scale. Unless the average worker earns at least £250000 it isn’t going to register. One thinks an index might have been better. Every man and his dog knows that inflated CEO pay is an issue, but such graphs just come across as deceptive.

 

[magicjuan]

Yes they are, especially when people are choosing expensive brands. Choice is a luxury. Choosing the new iphone over something much cheaper is a total luxury.

This is the kind of luxury working classes in the 70's, 80's & 90's didn't have. And how essential a smartphone really is is up for debate...people use it for nonsense, let's be honest. A home internet connection to be online, and a mobile phone to text & call, is all you really need even in this modern world.

You're detached. Are you an MP?

 

[dholliday]

All you're shy of is 'they've never had it so good'.

They haven't, to be brutally honest. Economically, at least. Culturally, or mentally, there's a debate that the youth of today are poorer than those of yesteryear. Maybe it's connected.

 

[dholliday]

You're detached. Are you an MP?

Detached? From what?

I'm not an MP. I'd think I'd make a good one as I look out for the common folk.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

When I started work the post 45 agreement was for people to retire at 65. Raising it by a year meant the government stole over £6 grand from me.

Lol at a socialist saying taxes are theft.

 

[Harryflashman]

sauce?

.

The issue in the public domain was in fairness the encouragement of her cabinet to allow the managed decline . Obviously local mp’s and others at the time and since have supported those claims .

I’m not going to list thatchers many issues with this city or why there is so much vitriol towards her but you’d hope the treatment of the city and Hillsborough alone identifies why so many have an issue with her .

 

[dholliday]

The issue in the public domain was in fairness the encouragement of her cabinet to allow the managed decline . Obviously local mp’s and others at the time and since have supported those claims .

I’m not going to list thatchers many issues with this city or why there is so much vitriol towards her but you’d hope the treatment of the city and Hillsborough alone identifies why so many have an issue with her .

I'm totally with the good people of Liverpool regarding Hillsborough...disgusting handling from the government & police. How much of that is Thatcher, tho'? She was out of office not long after the disaster.

 

[Harryflashman]

I'm totally with the good people of Liverpool regarding Hillsborough...disgusting handling from the government & police. How much of that is Thatcher, tho'? She was out of office not long after the disaster.

Its probably for another thread mate but the disaster happened on her watch , she sought to moderate and water down criticism of the police in the Taylor report and apocryphal stories exist of her conduct towards families . You can’t criticise her for the comments or thoughts of her press secretary but it’s difficult to look at his letter and not consider indicative of prevailing opinion.

 

[dholliday]

Its probably for another thread mate but the disaster happened on her watch , she sought to moderate and water down criticism of the police in the Taylor report and apocryphal stories exist of her conduct towards families . You can’t criticise her for the comments or thoughts of her press secretary but it’s difficult to look at his letter and not consider indicative of prevailing opinion.

aye, it's for another thread...i expect once i look into it we'd be on the same page regarding Thatcher & Hillsborough, tho' it's probably veering a little far from the wider point I was making which was that economical-poverty in the 70's for young people was worse than it is today (on balance).

 

[hullefc]

Lol at a socialist saying taxes are theft.

It isn't a tax. It's moving the goalposts to save money to lower taxes for the rich.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It isn't a tax. It's moving the goalposts to save money to lower taxes for the rich.

Impossible to ever change retirement age without it doing that for someone. I thought selfishness was a capitalist trait though?

 

[hullefc]

Impossible to ever change retirement age without it doing that for someone. I thought selfishness was a capitalist trait though?

Didn't need to change it. And what's all this mumbo jumbo about selfishness?

 

[magicjuan]

Detached? From what?

I'm not an MP. I'd think I'd make a good one as I look out for the common folk.

You must be a wum. I can't keep a straight face reading that.

 

[dholliday]

You must be a wum. I can't keep a straight face reading that.